Love ya lil bro Should've told ya before
by Who am I. Well. I'm just Me
Summary: Character death... be careful
1. Chapter 1

Hey fellas! I hope that you don't kill me but I've decided to write a CHARACTER DEATH fan-fic… this story has been bugging me for a couple of months so… try to enjoy this as much as you can… and don't kill me please T_T

Repeat: I'm not the turtles' owner… DAMN YOU NICKELODEON!

**Love ya lil' bro… Should've told ya before…**

"That's it, goofball! I'm tired of yer stupid pranks!"

"C'mon dude! It wasn't that bad. Besides… you look better on pink Hahahaha!"

"Why our training session can't be normal?" Leo said rubbing his temples in annoyance.

"Are we normal?" Don asked.

"Nope"

"It's ok then"

"Nah! Don't think so… Hey, someone's up for pizza?"

"Count me in!" Mikey said happily.

"Same here"

"Hey… Raph…?"

"Nah! I'm goin' out"

"Ok… see ya later, but stay out of trouble" Raph was about to leave… but, he had an idea… an evil one.

"Hey guys… eh… what if… if I go for the pizza?"

"Ok… eh… are you sure?"

"Yeah… why not?"

"Well… then, a vegan pizza and… Mikey what kind of pizza do you want?"

"Hawaiian please!"

"Ok… I'll be back soon…" Raph left the lair with an evil smirk on his face.

"Hmm… don't you guys think that was too nice from him? I mean, we're talking about Raph here" Don said in concern.

"Don't worry dudes! Do you think he'll poison it? Hahahaha"

"Har-di-har Mikey" Leo sighed heavily.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Welcome to Lucali! How can I help you?"

"A vegan pizza, the 'meat lover' special and a Hawaiian one…"

"Nice selection sir! Anything else?"

"Yeah… there are some… 'Special ingredients' that I wanna add to the Hawaiian one…" Raph said with a dark smile on his face.

* * *

1 hour later…

"I'm starving! I think it was a bad idea leaving Raph to go for the pizzas!" Mikey complained.

"Pizza's here!" Raph yelled as he entered into the lair.

"Look who's finally here! Mr. Slow-Shell! Mikey teased Raph.

"I told you he was coming soon" Don said.

"Ok, guys… a vegan for Donnie and Leo… the meat lover's for me… and a Hawaiian one with a little surprise for you on it Mikey…"

"Raph…what did you exactly do to his pizza?" Leo said in concern.

"Relax Fearless! The pizza guy said today's Hawaiian pizza had special ingredients so…"

"It's ok, Leo! I like to experiment with new flavors! Ok… here goes nothing!" Mikey said and started to eat the first slice.

The others did the same… but Raph's dark smile never let his face… he waited, and waited… and waited…

"Mmm… I don't feel… any difference… I think they…" But suddenly… he felt a particular and very spicy taste on his tongue and throat.

"Oh shell! SHELL, SHELL! … *cough*… WHAT THE… *cough*… WHAT THE SHELL DID THEY PUT ON THIS?"

"Oh… nothing, just a few hot chili peppers on the pizza's border… and Tabasco sauce… and have you ever heard of 'Pico de Gallo' sauce?"

"Raph… those are the spiciest sauces in the world!" Don said angrily.

"So? I thought he liked to experiment with new flavors… isn't that true Mikey?" Raph said with a little giggle on his voice.

"WATER, WATER! NEED… SOME… WATER!" Mikey yelled.

"Here…" Raph handed Mikey a soda and he drank it but…

"AHHHHH! WHAT THE SHELL! ARE YOU CRAZY?" Mikey yelled again… the reason? That wasn't soda… it was hot coffee!

"Raph!" Leo yelled angrily at Raph.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! REVENGE! SWEET, SWEET REVENGE!" Raph laughed.

"That wasn't funny Raph! C'mon Mikey… let's get you some water…"

"Hehehehe… hahahaha… so… hahaha… hilarious!" Raph wiped a few tears.

A few minutes later, Raph went directly to his punching bag. A very angry Mikey stared at him from outside the dojo. He had to make Raph pay for this. But how? And then, and idea…

"He he… you're so gonna pay, Raph" Mikey thought and made his way to his room. He looked for a little friend that he knew Raph wasn't pleased to meet. Once he got it, he went to Raph's room and placed the little fella on Raph's hammock. Then, he continued preparing the prank.

"All I have to do… is wait… hehehehe" Mikey giggled as he finished. Then, he went to the dojo again.

"Hey Mikey! Want another Hawaiian pizza? Hehehehe" Rah teased Mikey.

"Har-di-har Raph… that was soooo funny" Mikey said with a sarcastic voice.

"C'mon Mikey! Yer always pulling pranks on me… can't take a little prank just for once?"

"Ok, ok… it was a good prank, I admit. But you haven't seen anything yet, Raphie-boy"

"Don't cha think we've had enough for today? I mean, c'mon! Gimme a break!"

"Ok, ok… no more pranks for today"

Suddenly, the security system is activated.

"Guys, we have company!" Don yelled.

"What is this time?"

"Foot Ninjas, near the east tunnel"

"Those goofballs don't get tired?" Raph asked angrily.

"Khan must have sent him to find us… Don, get the Sewer Slider. We can't let them discover the new lair" Leo commanded.

"Got it"

"Ok, guys… let's do this!"


	2. Chapter 2

Hey fellas! I hope that you don't kill me but I've decided to write a CHARACTER DEATH fan-fic… this story has been bugging me for a couple of months so… try to enjoy this as much as you can… and don't kill me please T_T

Repeat: I'm not the turtles' owner… DAMN YOU NICKELODEON!

**Love ya lil' bro… Should've told ya before…**

The team left the lair immediately. After a few minutes, they found a small group of Foot Ninjas.

"Guys… they're here!" Mikey yelled.

"Ssh! Mikey! You're gonna get us…" The Foot Ninjas discovered them and charge into battle.

"Thanks a lot bonehead!"

"What!"

"Guys, discussion over!" Leo said and took out his katanas.

The Foot threw a few shurikens; Don stopped them using his bo staff. Leo faced three ninjas. He caught a glimpse of a fourth ninja moving stealthily behind him, and chose that moment to strike first. He feinted forward, then dropped into a crouch and swept one outstretched leg around behind him. His foot caught the fourth attacker's ankles and yanked his feet from beneath him. The ninja pitched backward, arms flailing, and smacked his head on the floor. In the same motion, he pounced onto the fallen man, ramming a fist into the ninja's chin to insure that he was down for good.

A sword swished through the air vertically. Raph leapt to the side. It crashed to the ground and emitted a shower of sparks. Don joined the battle beside Raph. A narrow miss, avoided only by a nimble leap to the side. Another trio of slashes forced Don to roll backwards, the blade coming close enough to whip a breeze across his skin. Mikey was momentarily distracted by the secret prank he had made for his brother.

"Mikey! Stop day dreaming and help Don!" Leo yelled.

"Oh, right!" Mikey twirled his nunchacks and hit the ninja on the head, knocking him down.

"You ok Donnie?"

"Yeah… nothing serious" Don said as Mikey lifted him from the wet ground. The ninjas started to leave the place with minor wounds.

"And don't cha come back for more!" Raph yelled at them as they left. And then… a shuriken came from nowhere at Mikey's direction.

"Mikey, move!" Raph yelled at him and stood in front on him, catching the shuriken with his arm. Blood was pounding slowly through the red masked ninja skin as he whimpered in pain.

"Raph!" Leo yelled and kneeled beside his brother.

"I'm… ok, I'm ok!" Raph said still whimpering.

"C'mon let's go back to the lair" Leo said and helped Raph to stand up.

Once Raph's wound was treated, Mikey sat on the couch beside him.

"Hey… eh… how is your wound?"

"Nah! No complains… I've had worst than this" Raph said yawning a little. They stayed in silence when Mikey talked again.

"Thanks"

"For what? This?"… Raph pointed at his wound… "It's nothing bro"

"Still… thanks" Mikey smiled.

"Cut it out, Mikey! Ya know I'll always protect ya"

"I know… I just wanted to thank you"

"Ok, ok… yer welcome… happy now?"

"Hehe… yeah kinda… and don't worry, no more pranks for this week, ok?"

"Ok… Well… *yawn*… I'm going to bed…night guys" Raph left the living room.

"Actually, what he did today was nice, coming from Raph of course…" Leo said.

"What do you mean?"

"Even though 'the pink bandanna prank' that you pulled on him today… he still cared for you"

"That's logical, he's our bro. He had to do it, like it or not" Don explained.

"Not true, Don… when Raph's angry at one of us, he completely ignore us… but today…"

"Woah… you mean he didn't care about that prank after all?"

"No, I mean…" Leo and Don kept talking about Raph's behavior when Mikey interrupted them.

"Guys… guys… forget all this thing! What really matters is that Raph doesn't have hard feelings, he saved me today and I thanked him… and I promised him I wasn't going to pull pranks on him for this week… …Wait… Oh shell! I forgot it!"

"What?" Don asked.

A loud scream came from Raph's room. He had found the little spider on his hammock and jumped back, falling on a skateboard, slamming his head on the wall. He found a rope and took it as he tried to get up but he got slimed for a bucket of anchovies and tomato sauce. The guys ran upstairs just to find a slimed and smelly Raph on the floor.

"Raph… what the…" Don tried to hold back the laughter but failing almost immediately.

"Hey what's going on here? … Uh? ... What…*giggles*… what ha-*muffled laughter*… happened… hehehehe!"

"Raph! Don't go to your… Oh-oh, too late!" Mikey said as he saw Raph on the floor with all the anchovies on his head and body.

"…!" Raph stood up angrily.

"Raph, calm down! I'm sorry I didn't tell you… I just… I forgot it!" Mikey tried to explain.

"I save yer shell… and this is what I got? You little knucklehead!"

"Raph, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I was angry at you and I… I… please Raph, forgive me!" Mikey pleaded.

"Oh no! Not this time Mikey! You and yer puppy eyes can go to hell! Can't ya be mature for once in yer damn life? I hate your childish behavior, Mikey. God, I hate you sometimes!" Raph yelled and made his way to the bathroom.

"Woah… I didn't see that coming" Don said looking at Mikey.

"He… hates me? He… really hates… me?"

"That's not true Mikey, he's just angry" Leo tried to sound positive.

"Who wouldn't be! After that prank…" Don replied.

"Don… Leave your comments for once, ok?"

"Ok… Geez, he was angry… wasn't he? But don't worry Mikey. It's not like he's not gonna talk to you anymore! ... Is it?"

"Donatello!"

"Ok, ok!"


	3. Chapter 3

Hey fellas! Woow! I couldn't sleep last night! I think I shouldn't have drunk that coffee…

"Don? What did you put on my coffee?"

D: Eh… nothing! Just… keep writing, ok?

"Mmm… ¬¬!"

Repeat: I'm not the turtles' owner… DAMN YOU NICKELODEON!

**Love ya lil' bro… Should've told ya before…**

The next 4 days Raph totally ignored Mikey… on practice, on dinner; on the patrols… he just ignored him! This silent treatment was hard to deal with, especially for the most kind and childlike of the green team.

"Hey Raph!" Mikey said as Raph went into the kitchen. But his brother didn't answer. Raph opened the fridge and took a jar of orange juice.

"Hmm… still mad at me, aren't you?" Still nothing… Mikey placed Raph's dinner on the table

"Hey Raph! Dinner is…" Raph had already left the kitchen when Leo and Don entered.

"… ready" Mikey ended the phrase lowering his head and sighing heavily.

"Mike, is everything ok?" Leo asked in concern.

"Yeah… I guess"

"He's still angry, huh?"

"Yeah… I don't know what to do! I tried to apologize but he doesn't wanna listen to me… Heck! I made his favorite dish today and… still nothing…"

"Maybe I should talk to him"

"No, Leo. It's ok…"

"Like shell it's ok! I'm gonna talk to him, Mikey. He can't ignore you like this"

"But Leo…"

"No 'buts' Michelangelo!" With this, Leo left the kitchen. Raph wasn't in the dojo or the living room. Leo thought he was outside when he heard the sound of Raph's stereo. He was on his room again.

Leo made his way upstairs and knocked softly at Raph's door.

"Whoevah you are, leave me alone"

"Raph, it's Leo… I wanna talk to you… please bro, open the door" Raph slowly opened it.

"Whatcha want?"

"May I come in?" Leo asked and Raph full opened the door this time, letting Leo came inside his room and then he closed the door.

"Heh, your room is a mess! And I thought Mikey's room…"

"Don't cha say that name again, Leo!"

"C'mon Raph! It was only a joke! Besides, I think you deserved it. That spicy pizza was an awful prank"

"He always does tha same to me! And he said no more pranks for a week!"

"But he was angry at you when he did that one! Raph, Mikey is doing all that he can to apologize but…"

"I don't believe' im anymore!" Raph yelled. Mikey was going to his room when he heard Raph's yell. He walked to his brother's bedroom and placed his ear on the door.

"He's only a kid Raph!"

"Yeah, right… and I'm Oprah Winfrey… Knock it off Leo!"

"You don't have any idea what he's suffering for this silent treatment you're giving him"

"Well… it ain't enough suffering for me"

"Raph! How can you say that! He loves you and we all know you…"

"Shut up!" Raph yelled again and this made Mikey's eye went wide opened.

"I'll say it now and listen carefully… I don't feel anything for him! He's nothing for me… and like I said before…"

"Raph… no…!" Mikey knew what was coming next… he just didn't want to hear it again.

"…I…"

"No…" Mikey muttered.

"…hate…"

"No…no…no!"

"… hi…"

This was enough for the orange masked ninja. Every single word felt like a stab on his fun-loving heart. He ran away directly to his room and fell on the bed crying fiercely.

"…s childish behavior! Ok? … ya'd listened to me already… and if yer not happy… so sue me"

"I can't believe it, Raph. If Mikey's behavior is childish… yours is worse than that!"

"Watch yer words Splinter Jr.!"

"We can't be a team if we fight against us… remember Raph? That's what Splinter always tells us… I can't believe you're such a bad student… and brother" Leo left the room, leaving Raph alone with his thoughts.

"What's taking them so long?" Don asked to himself. Then Leo appeared, clearly angry.

"So… what happened?"

"Raph's such a bonehead… that's all"

"Ok… hey, where's Mikey anyway? He went after you"

"I didn't see him coming"

"Maybe he's in his room… I'll go for him, besides… I think I'm not in the mood for dinner right now" Don said and made his way upstairs.

Mikey tried to calm himself without success; this was too much for him. None of his brothers had hated him because of a prank before, why now? And why Raph? Why his favorite brother and best friend hated him so much? So focused on his thoughts he was that he didn't see his genius brother coming inside his room with a concerned gaze.

"Mikey? Mikey, what's wrong?" Don sat beside his brother.

"Leave me alone, p-please Donnie"

"No, I'm not leaving before you tell me what's wrong"

"N-Nothing… it's nothing… r-really" Mikey wiped his tears away.

"If it's nothing then, why are you crying?"

Mikey avoided his brother's eyes and lowered his head, still sobbing. Don gently lifted up his chin and made eye contact.

"C'mon, you know you can tell me… whatever it is, I know we can find a solution together"

"Even y-you can't help m-me with this…"

"This is for Raph, right?" Mikey nodded.

"Look, Leo told me what happened and…"

"I heard what he said! Every single word!"

"Yeah? What did he say?"

"He hates me; he said he hates me, Donnie!"

"What? That… that can't be possible!"

"It is possible… I'm doomed Donnie! He hates me and there's nothing I can do to solve this" Mikey stood up and made his way out of the room.

"Mikey, are you sure he said that?"

"You can ask Leo if you don't believe me… anyway, tell him I'll be with April"

"Mikey, wait!" Don said but Mikey had already left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey fellas! This chapter's kinda long, I know. But the sad ending is coming on the next one, I promise. I still have some work to do: Me and My Teddy bear and another one-shot fan-fic… Uff! Lot of work…

Repeat: I'm not the turtles' owner… DAMN YOU NICKELODEON!

**Love ya lil' bro… Should've told ya before…**

"Leo, what exactly did Raph tell you?" Don asked angrily as he entered into the dojo.

"Eh… about what?"

"…*sigh*… Mikey, Raph, bad prank… remember?"

"Ok, ok! I remember"

"So? What did he tell you?"

"Why do you wanna know, anyway?"

"I found Mikey crying on his bed because of something that Raph said"

"Wait… how did he..."

"I told you, he went after you! He heard everything, Leo"

"C'mon, what he said it wasn't so bad… yeah, he said he hated his behavior, but we all know Mikey's just Mikey and…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… hold it right there! Mikey told me Raph said he hated _**him**_! Not his behavior!"

"He said **what**?" Raph had just arrived to the dojo when he heard the last part of the conversation.

"Don't tell me he was spying all Leo's lecture!"

"Apparently yes"

"Where is he? I gotta talk to him!"

"He said he was going to April's place, I tried to stop him but… he just… ran away. He looked really depressed"

"…*sigh*… I better call April" Leo said and dialed April's number.

***RIIIING, RIIIING***

"Hello?... Hey Leo… … No, he hasn't called… … is everything alright? … … oh, I see… … … don't worry; I'll call you when I see him, ok? … … ok, bye"

"What happened babe?" Casey asked.

"Mikey and Raph had a bad argument"

"Whoa… I thought that was Leo's line"

"Well… he said Mikey's coming now… *sigh*… I wonder what happened; Raph and Mikey don't fight usually"

"Don't worry April, Mikey's a ninja! He'll be here in no time"

But Casey was wrong, the Foot wanted revenge for their last encounter with the turtles, and what a perfect opportunity that taking the youngest of the team down. Mikey didn't notice the ninjas that were following him on his way to April's place… and now he was in serious trouble. The ninjas had Mikey surrounded. Wherever he saw, there were Foot ninjas. One of them took Mikey by surprise and kicked him on the jaw… another one came and was about to slash Mikey with his katana, but the orange masked ninja jumped to another building and started to run as fast as he could.

"Oh shell! This is definitely not my day!"

Meanwhile, the guys had already arrived to their friend's place. Leo told them the whole story; Raph looked pretty ashamed. Listening the whole story again made him think about his behavior with his little brother lately… he couldn't believe how childish he had been!

"Raph, man! I know ya don't like pranks 'n all that stuff but, c'mon! Don't cha think that was kinda… rude?"

"I know, Case… I'm such a jerk!"

"Whoever who thinks different… say 'I'…" Don mocked Raph. No one said a word.

"Well, Raph… it's official now: you're a jerk" Casey said.

"Guys, this is not time for joking… where's Mikey? He had to be here 15 minutes ago" April asked in concern.

"I'll call him... Hope I don't interrupt something" But what Leo didn't know is that he had called in the worst time ever.

Mikey was hidden inside a dumpster… the Foot ninjas were there, near him… very near him.

"Ok… now I just had to wait 'til they get tired and go home… then, I'll get the shell outta here" then, his shell cell rang.

"Oh-oh! This is not good, not good at all!" The Foot surrounded the dumpster where Mikey was.

With a battle cry, Mikey opened the dumpster cover; he threw it where the ninjas were and escaped. While he ran on the rooftops, he finally answered.

"Mikey? Where are you bro? We're…"

"Leo! The Foot… they've been following me…!"

"What? Mikey, where are you? Tell me the direction!"

"4 blocks away from April's… I think I'm gonna… AHHHH!" A shuriken stabbed Mikey's leg and made him drop his shell cell.

"Mikey! … Mikey, you hear me? ... Shell!"

"What happened?" Don asked.

"The Foot"

"WHAT?" everyone stared at Leo.

"They've been following him… he's 4 blocks away from here… we gotta hurry!"

With this, the guys left the department and made their way to the rooftops. Mikey was now more than 4 blocks away… the ninjas were fast and he was hurt and tired.

"I can't believe this is happening to me! Hurry up, guys!" Mikey thought as he ran.

"Guys, we better go on separate ways… Casey, you're with me… Don, go to the west… Raph, go to the south…, April, take the hauler and look on ground. Get your shell cells ready!" Leo commanded.

Each one of them started to look on every place they could, but Mikey wasn't there. On the other hand, Mikey was having problems handling the ninjas… he felt more tired as the minutes passed.

"Can't… you guys… gimme… a little… break?" Mikey said as he dodged the katanas.

"Where tha shell are ya, Mikey?" Raph looked everywhere but only shadows greeted him.

"I can't believe that bonehead just got caught by the Foot!" he was about to leave when the sound of clashing swords stopped him and made the red masked ninja think the worse.

"Mikey! Wait a little more, bro! I'm coming!"

One of the ninjas had Mikey pinned down with a foot on his chest and the katana up, ready to finish him.

"Oh boy! That's it… I can't believe this is it!"

The ninja prepared the sword for the final move. Mikey shut his eyes… waiting… and then, a familiar battle cry made him opened them again. In a matter of seconds, the ninja's sword had been caught by a pair of sais. With an expert wrist move, he made the ninja lost his sword and with a kick Raph sent him to ground.

"Mikey, you ok? What happened to yer leg?"

"I'm ok… just a scratch… What are you doing here?"

"Ya called Leo; we all heard ya were in trouble, dufus. Now c'mon, we gotta take ya outta here" … Raph said and helped his brother to stand up… "Ya really can't walk?"

"I can try"

"Ok … I'll call the others… _*dialing*… … …_guys, I found him… … … he's just bruised and his leg has a nasty cut… … … I'm going to April's, tell Donnie he better has his first aid kit ready… … … Ok, see ya there… _*end of the call*_…"

"Raph, watch out!" Another ninja was about to slash Raph, but he moved just in time.

"This guys don't know when is time to surrender, do they?" Raph put Mikey in a safe place and took out his sais.

"Wait here" The red masked ninja dodged a second attack.

He took the ninja's foot, sending him to ground immediately. With a punch in the face, the ninja felt into unconsciousness. More Foot ninjas came. The shurikens flew all over the battle field; Raph twirled his sais and sent them directly to the ninjas. While he was busy, some ninjas went into Mikey's direction.

"Eh… Raph? Need a little help here!" but Raph wasn't listening.

"Ok, knuckleheads… a little scratch won't stop me!"

Mikey took out his nunchacks and caught the fist of his opponent, then he lifted him and threw the unfortunate warrior into a group of ninjas.

"Watch your back, Raph!" Mikey yelled and threw a kick to the ninja behind his brother.

"Ok, who wants a little more?"

* * *

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Hey fellas! This story is almost done… please, please don't kill me.

L: "Don't worry Who, no one's gonna kill you"

"Really?"

L: "Yeap… that's Raph's cue" _*leaves the room*_

"Oh crud! O_O"

Repeat: I'm not the turtles' owner… DAMN YOU NICKELODEON!

**Love ya lil' bro… Should've told ya before…**

The Foot ninjas attacked them again, fiercely this time, but Mikey's leg started to bleed again.

"Raph… my wound… it's getting worse!"

"Don't be a wimp, Mikey!"

"I'm sorry, oh! Mr. 'I can't take a joke'… but if you hadn't noticed, I'm hurt!"

"I know yer hurt, shell-fer-brains! Ya could prevent this if ya hadn't run away like the baby you are!" Raph said dodging punches.

"I don't know why you came here! Besides, why do you still care about me when you hate me!"

"What did ya say?" with a few more punches and kicks, the Foot ninjas started to retreat… once they were gone, Mikey continued with the argument.

"Don't think I'm stupid! I heard everything!"

"Mikey, it's not what yer thinking!"

"Yeah, right… I guess you're right, Raph! So you hate me, huh? Ok, news flash for you hothead: the feeling is the same, I hate you, too!"

"Yer gonna listen to me or what?"

"Whatever you had to say, you've already said it. I don't wanna hear anything from you! You hate me, you said it!"

One of the ninjas appeared from nowhere and went to Mikey's leg sending a kick on his wound. Mikey collapsed on his knees and clutched his hurt leg.

"No! ... Mikey!" Raph yelled and ran to help his wounded brother. The katana went down… but something interfered between the blade and Mikey… and then…

"Raph!"

The red masked ninja now lay on the ground… with a blade on his stomach. The cops' helicopters were on patrol when they noticed strange activities on the rooftops. The ninjas disappeared, leaving both wounded turtles at the mercy of the authorities.

"Raph… Raph! Please, say something!" Mikey saw the copters coming.

"C'mon buddy! We gotta get outta here!" Mikey pulled the eldest along behind him and towards the door that lead to the storage shed on the top of the building.

"There, you'll be fine Raph… just hold on a sec!" Mikey searched his shell cell, but then he remembered.

"Shell! I lost it! Well… maybe Raph's shell cell is still working, I hope" Luckily, he found his brother's shell cell and dialed Don's number.

"Don? It's Mikey! … … … I'm ok, but Raph… they hurt him! … … … yeah, it's bad! … … … Don, he's barely breathing! … … … well, part of the blade is stuck in his stomach… … … God! There's so much blood! … … … Where are we? Remember the old storage on… … … yeah, yeah, that one. Please, come quickly! … … … ok, I'll do it! Please, please, come quickly! Ok, bye!"

"M-Mikey… a-are you…"

"Ssh! Don't talk, please… Donnie will be here soon. I promise"

"Y-you… ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok… now, shut up!"

Raph started to cough out blood. His shell rested on Mikey's plastron and his head on his little brother's shoulder. Mikey couldn't believe this was happening, his big brother was dying on his arms and he couldn't do anything.

"H-how is… y-your leg?"

"Would you just shut up, Raph? You have to save your strength!"

"Mikey… I'm sorry… for everything…"

"No, dude. It's me who's sorry. I shouldn't have done that to you, after you saved me that night… and you did it again, Heh?"

"Yeah… the b-bitter irony, huh? _… *cough*…"_ Raph coughed again, a thick blood line made his way to Mikey's shoulder and plastron.

"Ssh, you'll be fine, you have to be fine!" Mikey hugged his brother tightly but not so tight as to hurt him.

Only 3 minutes had passed, but Mikey felt them like 3 years. He fought back tears; he didn't want to be weak on this moment. His brother needed him… but it was impossible, no one could survive with a stabbed stomach and he knew it… maybe Raph knew that, too. He finally let some tears escape. Raph was half asleep when he felt the teardrops on his face. He lifted his hand with difficulty and wiped the tears away.

"Don't cry, Mikey… or I'll haunt ya w-when I l-leave… "

"No! You can't give up! _…*sobs*…_ You're always saying you're the strongest, right? Then, show me! Show me you're strong!" Mikey sobbed.

"M-maybe I'm not… that stronger… a-after all… Mikey, what y-you heard… N-nothing … e-ever in this life… would make me… h-hate you. Remember that, Mikey"

"You don't hate me?"

"I could… n-never… h-hate you…"

"Raph, I'm… I'm so sorry! This is my fault! _… *sobs*"_

"D-don't blame yerself… _*cough*… *cough*…_ Mikey, I need you… to do me one favor… please"

"What is it?"

"P-pull it… out… the blade… pull it out, p-please"

"WHAT? No way, Raph! You could die!"

"T-that's the p-point, shell-fer-brains"

"NO! I won't do that! Raph, it's not your time yet! You must fight!"

"Please l-little brother… e-end this n-nightmare_…*cough*…_ Remember when ya asked me to_… *cough*…_ look under yer bed because the monsters s-scared ya?"

"You always_…*sobs*…_ you always did it… no matter how tired you were, no matter how childlike it was… you_… *sobs*…_ always did it"

"I-I want you… to do the same… tha blade… is the monster that is… scaring me… take it away from me… please, do it… for me"

Mikey hesitantly took the blade, his hands were shaking, his sight blurred because of the tears. Raph took Mikey's hand and both turtles grabbed the blade now.

"C'mon… I'll help ya… … … On my count: one… two… THREE!"

One fast pull… Raph cried in pain and started to lose a lot of blood. He was still breathing but it started being hard to do it. Mikey collapsed on tears, hugging his brother fiercely this time and sobbing loudly.

"I'm sorry, Raph… I'm sorry! I love you, bro… I always did!"

"It's… ok… Mikey… t-tha… p-pain… is… is… going… a-away… Feels… n-nice… well, k-kinda…"

Mikey looked at his brother's eyes. For the first time in his young life he saw tears on his hotheaded brother amber gaze.

"D-do you… k-know… why… I'm…c-crying… Mikey?"

"No… why?"

"… _*cough*…*cough*…_ all my life… and I never told ya how much you meant to me…"

"Well… you never were the sentimental kind"

Raph's body shook violently. He knew his time was closer… it was now or never.

"Mikey_…*cough*…_ L-love ya… lil bro, should've told ya… before…" Raph said caressing Mikey's wet cheek.

"Love you, too" With this, Raph closed his eyes… forever.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey fellas! The final chapter is here.

Repeat: I'm not the turtles' owner… DAMN YOU NICKELODEON!

**Love ya lil' bro… Should've told ya before…**

By the time the others appeared into the scene, Raph was already dead. With great sorrow, they took the teenager's body to the lair where Splinter was waiting. Once they arrived, the old rat collapsed on tears as he hugged his son's corpse. When the guys called April, she almost lost control of the car because of the shock. She couldn't believe this was happening; the Foot was going to pay for what they've done, sooner or later they had to pay. Taking a teenager's life just for a foolish revenge!

As the others prepare the burial ceremony, Mikey never left his room. His brother was dead because of him, he had died on his arms, his last words… he had heard his last words! Mikey couldn't even stand near the coffin where his brother was gonna rest… forever.

During the trip to Casey's grandma's house, no one said a word. The silence was broken only by April's muffled sobs. During the ceremony, no one had dry eyes. One by one they expressed their inner feelings. Leonardo started. He took a step forward and put a rose, red as Raph's bandanna and also as his brother's favorite color.

"Raph, no matter how many times we argued or when you said you hated me, I knew you were lying. You never had hard feelings with any of us. We love you and you'll never be forgotten"

Then, Leo made space for the next one: Donatello.

"There were so many times when I felt like I needed to be perfect on my work… that every experiment I worked on it needed to be perfect and that I couldn't allow me to make mistakes. But then you made me see I was wrong. You made me see I didn't need to be a genius every time. You made me see I was already perfect. Thanks bro. I'll never forget that"

With this, the purple masked ninja place his rose in the coffin and stood beside Leo. The next one in line was Casey.

"Raph, buddy… you were like the brother I wished to have. You were there when I needed you the most. Sure we always put ourselves in trouble… Heh, what a pair of boneheads, huh? But we always managed to protect each other. I hope you watch my back… from a better place now"

Casey placed his rose and something else in addition…

"I'm putting here my first hockey mask so you won't forget me 'til I go where you are now… take care of it, Raph… it's my favorite, you know"

Right after Casey, April approached to the coffin and placed a pink rose.

"My rose is pink because is my favorite color. When you look at it, remember me Raph… if it wasn't for you, I would never meet the man who's now my husband and I thank you for that. I thank you for introduce me to my perfect man. I love you… my little brother"

April collapsed on tears after the last words. Casey tried to sooth her and she buried her face on his chest. Master Splinter walked slowly and placed his hand on the coffin, his eyes remained closed as he talked.

"Raphael, my son, you were a brave warrior; loyal to your family and passionate on battle. Perhaps you are gone in body but your spirit will live in our hearts"

"Mikey… would you like to…" Leo encouraged his little brother but as a few days ago, he remained in silence.

"It is alright my son… it is your decision if you do not wish to talk right now" Splinter comforted Mikey.

The orange masked ninja moved a step forward and placed his rose which had some tears that shined like crystals. But no words came out of his mouth; once his rose joined to other ones, he left the place in silence. After this, Casey and Leo started to bury the coffin while the others went into the house. During the rest of the afternoon, they talked about family experiences, remembering their happy moments with Raphael. The night finally came; all of them tried to get some sleep… all but one. Leo got up and decided to check if the others were fine when he noticed Mikey's room was empty, his bed was cold… a clear sign that he hadn't been there in a long time.

The blue masked ninja walked as stealthy as he could through the stairs. He didn't want to wake up the others; he knew no one had slept very well in the last few days. In completely silence, he left the house and started to look around the place for any sign of his little brother without success.

"Where he could be now? Mikey? Mikey... c'mon bro, don't scare me like this, where are you?"

No response. And then, just when he was going to the house again, he saw a familiar shadow kneeled next to Raph's grave.

"What's he doing there?"

Meanwhile, Mikey looked at the epitaph for one more time:

_Raphael Hamato_

_Son, Brother, Warrior_

_His spirit is a fire that will not be extinct _

_from our hearts_

_We love you_

_R.I.P._

Each word hurt… every single word… Mikey closed his eyes fiercely, trying to stop the tears but failing miserably. He jumped back with a gasp when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Leo?"

"I thought you were here" Leo said kneeling beside his brother.

"What are you doing here? You need to sleep, bro"

"You need some sleep too, Mikey. It's been a long day"

"I couldn't sleep so… I came here…"

"Yeah, I can see that" both turtles remained in silence when Mikey spoke again.

"I used to do this before…"

"Huh?"

"When I couldn't sleep… I used to go with Raph. Of course, he never liked to be awake in the middle of the night just because I couldn't sleep and he smacked me or something… but he always ended up helping me to sleep again" Mikey said with a sad smile and tears on his eyes.

"Mikey, I know this may sound cruel but… you have to let it go"

"No, Leo. This is my fault; he's dead because of me!"

"That's not true. It wasn't your fault and you know it"

"If I hadn't pull that prank… he probably would be riding his bike, racing Casey right now"

"Mikey, he saved you that night. But you're ruin his job; if you don't let it go, you'll be killing yourself… the cheerful and always happy Mikey we all know… Mikey, his sacrifice will be in vain if you don't stop blaming yourself for something that you didn't do"

"It's just… Leo, I… I don't want to forget him"

"And you're not, Mikey. Listen, what would he say if he saw you like this?"… Leo wiped Mikey's tears away… "He told you not to cry, Mikey. He wouldn't want you to be miserable for the rest of your life"

"I miss him, you don't have idea how much I miss him, Leo!" Mikey said hugging his brother and still sobbing.

"I miss him, too… I miss him, too" Leo also had tears in his eyes but held them. He needed to stay calm for his little brother.

"Mikey, tell me something… why you didn't talk at the ceremony? It would be nice if you'd have said a few words"

"Because what I had to tell him, I had already said it to him before he left us… I said that I loved him and that was all he needed to know from me"

Suddenly, a warm breeze surrounded them.

"Did you feel that?"

"What?" Mikey asked with a puzzled gaze.

"The wind it's warmer… you know what that means?"

"No"

"He's here… every time you feel that the wind becomes warmer around you, be totally sure he's there… looking after you, not physically but in spirit. He's still protecting you, Mikey. The only difference it's that now you can't see him… like the great ninja he was, he's protecting you… 'in the shadows'…"

"Heh, nice speech Leo" Mikey smirked.

"At least it made you smile… a little"

"Thanks Leo… and Raph… thanks for being there for me" Mikey looked at the grave.

Leo and Mikey stayed there 'til the sunrise greeted them. The warm colors in the sky made them remember they were not alone; some hotheaded turtle was looking after them.

* * *

"Well readers… I hope you liked it. Whoa… I can't believe I just had killed one of the turtles!"

R: Yeah… just a question… why me?

"Ahhhh! Raphael-san! Hehe… hi… eh, why your sais look more shiny and… and pointy… and sharp?"

R: Let's just say… I sharpened a little more for mah targeting practice… but I need someone who help me… ya know what I'm saying?

"Y-yeah… hey, Raph…eh… look, I'm a little busy right now. You know, work to do and… duties…and…and…"

R: I'm not asking ya if ya had time… am I?

"…_*gulp*…_"

R: At the count of one… two…

"Ok, gotta go now… please reviews… and hope Raph leaves me on one piece for my next fan-fic" T_T


End file.
